Greek government reshuffle to speed economic recovery

AFP , ATHENS

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou reshuffled his government yesterday to speed up the economic revival of recession-mired Greece, which had been on the brink of bankruptcy, the government spokesman said.

The expanded government, announced nearly a year after Papandreou’s Pasok socialist party came to power, however, retains Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou in the key post, spokesman Georges Petalotis said.

The new government has 48 members against 36 previously. Seventeen of them are ministers.

Papaconstantinou said last week that the Greek economy, mired in a deep recession and struggling to right its strained public finances, may do better than expected this year.

Papaconstantinou told France’s La Croix newspaper that first half figures “allowed some hope that we will do better” than the 4 percent contraction forecast by the EU and IMF.

Government spokesman Petalosis said Greek Minister of State Haris Pampoukis, the prime minister’s right hand man, would be “in charge of investments,” while Public Order Minister Michalis Chrysohoidis swapped his portfolio for the economy and competitiveness ministry.